Lottery: Nigeria loses N2b monthly to project delay

Nigeria is losing revenue in excess of N2billion monthly as a result of the delay in the implementation of the Lottery Platform As a Service (LPAAS) Project by the National Lottery Regulatory Commission (NLRC), it was learnt yesterday.

The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Systems Numeric Nigeria Ltd, Athan Achonu, while appearing before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions, said the Lottery Commission and the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP) shunned due process in the bidding process for the LPAAS contract.

The Systems Numeric Ltd petitioned the committee on February 25, accusing the Lottery Commission and BPP of violating due process in the bidding process for the contract as contained in the Act establishing the Lottery Commission.

“But for the delay in the launching of the project, by now, Nigeria ought to be making about N2billion monthly from lottery. Unfortunately, we are faced with this delay as a result of the flawed process in the award of the contract,” Achonu said.

To support his claims, Achonu, in the petition to the committee, said his firm met the biding requirements prescribed by the BPP.

He said: “For instance, in compliance with the requirement, my company submitted a technical proposal in which the financial proposal was a section. But the other company submitted its technical and financial bids as separate documents in violation of Section 13 Page 17 of the Lottery Commission’s request for proposal, RFP.

“In addition, the rival bidder failed to submit the performance bond as required, whereas he provided performance bond of N500,000,000.00 that was sourced from a bank. Unfortunately, the facility is still accumulating interest to the detriment of my company.”

He, however, expressed concern over the inability of the BPP and the NLRC to adhere to due process.

Said he: “With the foregoing, we expected that in compliance with all international best practices for bids of this nature, our company would have been awarded the contract.

“To our amazement, instead, the SGF directed the Lottery Commission, BPP and the ICRC to further review the bid, which unnecessarily gives our rival bidder an opportunity in the LPAAS bid.”